20th Century Fox

To coincide with Fox’s biopic ‘The Greatest Showman’ about entertainment impresario PT Barnum, the studio approached Central Saint Martins to create a fashion collection inspired by the themes of the film, which include the power of imagination, individuality and inclusion. Eight groups of second year students from all pathways of the BA Fashion course created designs using a range of collected materials and donated Swarovski crystals which celebrate spectacle and fantasy but also incorporate sustainability and upcycling in surprising and pioneering ways.

The results were unveiled at a showcase event in the ballroom of Claridges and the winners were chosen by a judging panel that included 20th Century Fox, Swarovski and Grazia Magazine. Two groups were highly commended – ‘Blind Trust’ and ‘Show Lab’. The concept behind Blind Trust was that each student would create a garment and then hand it over to someone else, giving them creative freedom to customize and embellish it in their own way. ‘Show Lab’ turned plastic bottles into beautiful flowers with the help of Swarovski crystals. The overall winners ‘Self-O-Matic’ featured a new technique of fabric woven from old newspaper and used broken mirror imagery to play with the idea of distortion and self-reflection. Swarovski provided crystals which were embedded in the designs process and enhanced it.

We were able to use a crystal ribbon in a 3-D weave, which not only looked amazing, but actually strengthened the construction of the garment.